About Near Zero

Mission

Near Zero’s only agenda is helping to identify ways to quickly cut greenhouse gas emissions to near zero.

We perform research and analysis on near-term climate and energy policy as well as long-term technology pathways.

We evaluate and inform state-level policy in California and beyond, including how California’s policies provide lessons for other states, as well as national and international decision-making.

We employ a variety of lenses, including legal and policy analysis, scenario evaluation, and model forensics.

In addition to original analyses, Near Zero develops software for assessing the range of expert perspectives on critical strategic issues, highlighting where experts differ and why.

With a combination of expertise across the natural, social, and engineering sciences, our team is uniquely positioned to serve as an honest broker on climate mitigation strategies.

Near Zero is supported by the Fries Family Foundation, the Energy Foundation, Stanford University’s Precourt Institute for Energy, and the Carnegie Institution for Science. We do not accept funding that requires us to take a position in our work.

Contact us

We’re always exploring new avenues for research as well as new applications of our tools, in collaboration with partners including researchers, journalists, and other organizations. If you have project ideas or are interested in our work, please get in touch.

Team

Michael Mastrandrea

director

Michael Mastrandrea is director of Near Zero and a Senior Research Associate at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He worked for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 2009 until he joined Near Zero in 2015…

Karen Fries

chair of the board

Karen Fries worked at Microsoft from 1987 to 2007 in both product groups and research, where she built, managed and worked with teams on a wide range of software products and technologies. Her main interest was on user interface design…